Tobacco

Industry Will Be Quick To Manipulate Negotiations

September 12, 1997

Comedian Groucho Marx said he wouldn't want to be a member of any club that would let him in. Americans should remember that joke but give it a little twist as the effort to reach an agreement regarding tobacco continues: Any proposal that's acceptable to the tobacco industry is unlikely to be in the best interest of the public.

This doesn't mean an agreement is impossible. But it will be hard, despite the industry's recent setbacks.

The industry's resilience was demonstrated by its success in having a $50 billion tax credit included in tax-cut legislation approved earlier this year. The credit would take a substantial bite out of a proposed $368.5 billion national settlement of tobacco-related lawsuits. The credit was eased through the legislative process before the public knew what was happening, courtesy of House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott and with the compliance of the White House. But public outrage followed, and on Wednesday the Senate voted 95-3 to repeal the provision.

Whether the House will follow remains uncertain, testimony of tobacco's still strong grip on legislators. So the message is clear: The public and health advocates cannot blink as the process to reach a tobacco settlement continues, because in the blink of an eye the industry will pervert the process. The public's interest, not the tobacco industry's profits, is what must be served.